Meaning of the Name Miriam
Miriam is the original Hebrew form of the name Maryam (Mary) and is first used in the Bible for the sister of Moses and Aaron. Its precise etymology is debated: one strong proposal connects it with the Egyptian root mry, 'beloved'; other explanations link it with the Hebrew roots for 'bitter' (mar) or 'rebellion' (m-r-h), or with the word for 'sea' (yam). Its meaning is therefore most honestly described as unsettled.
Origin
The name Miriam is of Hebrew; the exact origin is debated origin.
Who is Miriam in the Bible?
Miriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron and the first woman in the Bible to be called a prophetess. After the crossing of the Red Sea she takes up a tambourine and leads the women in praise of the LORD. She is punished for speaking against Moses in the wilderness, is healed through Moses' prayer, and dies at Kadesh.
The story of Miriam in the Bible
Miriam's story begins in a scene where her name is not yet mentioned. When Pharaoh orders the Hebrew baby boys to be killed, Moses' mother places her baby in a papyrus basket on the bank of the Nile, and the baby's sister watches from a distance. When Pharaoh's daughter finds the baby, the girl steps forward, offers to find a Hebrew woman to nurse him, and brings her own mother. Tradition holds that this brave girl was Miriam. Years later, when Israel crosses the Red Sea on dry ground, Miriam the prophetess takes a tambourine; all the women follow her dancing, and she leads them in the song that the LORD has thrown horse and rider into the sea. Yet Miriam is not flawless: in the wilderness she and Aaron criticize Moses over his Cushite wife and ask whether the LORD speaks only through him. God defends Moses, and Miriam is struck with a skin disease. Moses pleads for her; she spends seven days outside the camp, and the people wait for her return. She dies and is buried at Kadesh. Centuries later Micah recalls that God sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam to lead his people.
Is Miriam mentioned in the Quran?
The name Miriam does not appear in this form in the Quran; it mentions Moses' sister, who watched over the infant Moses from a distance, without giving her name. The same Hebrew name, in the form Maryam, is used for the mother of Jesus.
Verses where Miriam appears
- Exodus 15:20 —
Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances.
- Numbers 12:1 —
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.
- Numbers 20:1 —
The children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month. The people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and was buried there.